Bahraini animal lover Jaber Al Jowder saved a young seagull whose beak was bound with a cable tie.
He has hit back at what he described as ‘cruel behaviour’ and urged people to show more respect for wildlife in the kingdom.
The Hidd resident encountered the bird last Sunday evening after a long day sea fishing, and immediately noticed something was wrong.
Mr Al Jowder
“I was on my way back to land when I spotted the bird in distress,” Mr Al Jowder told the GDN. “It turned out to be a juvenile Herring Gull, affectionately known as ‘Al Slal’, and it looked wary of me at first.
“Slowly and gradually it began to approach me willingly, so I took a good look at it.
“What I saw was that its beak had been completely wired shut with what I thought was a clip, it turned out to be a cable tie.
“I knew I had to help and the bird let me catch it very easily. It was very weak, and who knows how long it had gone without food.”
Mr Al Jowder, spurred on by his love of birds, acted quickly and managed to cut the cable tie and pull it off its beak.
The gull gulping down a fish after finally having its beak freed
Due to how weak it was, the bird could not fly away. Mr Al Jowder immediately took out some fish that he had caught while on the trip, and handed it some to eat.
Soon it was full and its energy slowly but surely returned. It stayed close to Mr Al Jowder for several minutes, and when it got its strength back, the bird managed to fly off.
He posted a video of the encounter on social media. The post went viral with people from all over the GCC commenting.
In the video, the bird struggled at first, but quickly gave up due to the lack of energy. After the tie was cut, it quickly gulped down some fish.
The herring gull is the typical ‘seagull’ of seaside resorts, though coastal populations have declined in recent decades.
Mr Al Jowder stated that this was not the first time he had witnessed a bird’s beak being closed in this manner.
“Some birds have had their beaks taped shut, but this is the first instance of a cable tie being used,” he added.
“I have no idea why the perpetrator would do something so cruel, but some people told me it might have been part of some act of black magic.
“Others say it was probably meant to be used as a target for birds of prey as part of their training and the bird managed to get away.
“No matter the reason though, it was a really bad thing, in my opinion.”
Mr Al Jowder condemned this behaviour, and has a simple message for the people of Bahrain – respect the wildlife. “To the people who did this, may God forgive you.
“These are very timid creatures who have never caused anybody any trouble.
“They are very beautiful creatures, and everyone who loves the sea loves having them around.
“It is an absolute joy to watch them fly around happily, and it is a sign that the sea is healthy.
“If many of them are flying around, it means that there is plenty of fish and plenty of wildlife in our waters.
“This kind of behaviour is inhumane. Respect your wildlife!”
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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